Berlin, May 15, 2024
Schengen-Information-System entry for Prof. Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah has no legal basis and is to be revoked immediately after an emergency appeal by ELSC lawyer Alexander Gorski with support from lawyers from the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP). This effectively ends the Schengen-area travel ban imposed on Prof. Dr. Abu Sittah by German authorities. He was previously prevented from entering Germany, France and most recently the Netherlands.
The court’s ruling follows ELSC lawyer Alexander Gorski’s arguments in all points and recognizes the urgency of the case vis-a-vis developments in Gaza. The court rejects all accusations by German Federal Police against Dr Abu Sittah and holds that the Federal Police provided no grounds according to the legal basis provided by Art. 24 EU-Verordnung 2018/1861 and § 30 Abs. 5 BundespolizeiG.
Alexander Gorski shares: “German police delivered a surprisingly weak reasoning for the entry ban issued against Dr Ghassan Abu Sitta in front of the court. By rejecting it as lacking any substantial evidence, the court affirms our case and calls the entire investigation into question. Professor Ghassan worked tirelessly to help Palestinians in Gaza, in dreadful conditions, and yet he has faced such unfair treatment upon his return.
This decision means that Ghassan’s freedom of expression and freedom of movement are no longer under threat, and he can speak out about what he witnessed in Gaza. This victory cannot be overstated.”
This victory highlights the illegality of Germany’s increasingly authoritarian anti-Palestinian state repression and should encourage everyone to speak up against the ongoing genocide on Gaza. We thank Prof. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah for his courage in speaking up against the crimes he has witnessed first handedly and against the shameful attempt by the German state to silence critics of the genocide it is funding.
Abu Sittah is due to speak on the 17th May 2024 to Dutch MPs and in public events organised by civil society organisations and at the University of Amsterdam.
The European Legal Support Center (ELSC) is the first and only independent organisation defending and empowering the Palestine solidarity movement in Europe through legal means. We provide free legal advice and assistance to associations, human rights NGOs, groups and individuals advocating for Palestinian rights in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom.
Source: https://elsc.support/news/victory-for-ghassan-abu-sittah-elsc-and-icjp-overturn-schengen-wide-travel-ban
Watch an interview with Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah on Democracy Now (April 01, 2024): “Genocidal Machine”: Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah on Israel’s Destruction of Gaza’s Hospitals